Modal vs Beam

Modal and Beam are closely matched on cold start and headline price. The decision comes down to isolation, session limits and ecosystem. Below: every spec that moves the decision, verified 2026-07-26.

	Modal	BEBeam
Isolation	gVisor	Container
Cold start	800ms	n/a
Price / vCPU-hr	$0.14	n/a
GPU	T4 → B200, incl. H100	H100 $1.74/hr, A100 80GB $1.30/hr, RTX 4090 $0.42/hr
Session limit	Configurable	Configurable
Persistence	Volumes; ephemeral compute	Ephemeral sandboxes; volume storage
MCP support	n/a	n/a
Free tier	$30/mo free credits	$30/mo free credits, no subscription floor
Best for	Python/ML workloads and agents that need GPU inside the sandbox.	Agents that need GPUs inside the sandbox, or spiky usage a subscription floor would penalize.

The verdict

Choose Modal for Python/ML workloads and agents that need GPU inside the sandbox. Choose Beam for agents that need GPUs inside the sandbox, or spiky usage a subscription floor would penalize.

Headline rates rarely equal your bill. Idle time, session length, creation fees and GPU minutes dominate. Model your actual workload in the cost calculator.

FAQ

Modal vs Beam: which is better?

It depends on your priority. Modal is best for Python/ML workloads and agents that need GPU inside the sandbox. Beam is best for agents that need GPUs inside the sandbox, or spiky usage a subscription floor would penalize.

Is Modal or Beam cheaper?

Pricing models differ; see each provider's page for current rates.

Still choosing between Modal and Beam?

Tell us your workload and we'll point you to the better fit, then connect you with real pricing from the one you pick. No spam.